McRyanMac: May 2007

Thursday, May 31, 2007

College Camera

"HELEN AND I JUST WATCHED EVAN COYNE MALONEY'S FILM, Indoctrinate U. It's a gripping hour-and-a-half, and the college administrators -- and there are a lot of them -- who call the cops on Evan rather than answer simple questions about matters of public record certainly give higher education a jackbooted-thug ambience. Even your dumber corporate PR people would know better, but they are used to a lot more public scrutiny than the folks who run colleges and universities.
I hope that the film gets a lot of attention. It certainly deserves it, and I think it's going to leave a lot of people angry."

African universities overcrowded, falling apart - The Boston Globe

African universities overcrowded, falling apart - The Boston Globe:

"Africa's best universities, the grand institutions that educated a revolutionary generation of nation builders and statesmen, doctors and engineers, writers, and intellectuals, are collapsing.
They are victims of overcrowding, too little money, mismanagement, and trends in international development aid that have favored primary education over higher learning even as a population explosion propels more young people than ever toward the already strained institutions.
The decrepitude is forcing the best and brightest from countries across Africa to seek their education and fortunes abroad and depriving dozens of nations of the homegrown expertise that could lift millions out of poverty."

This is something that Campus Crusade can do something about and we in the Northeast are starting to ask how.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Amahoro Africa

Amahoro Africa:

"When I first left Africa back in 1992, I was few months shy of being 18 years old; I saw my departure as an opportunity to exit poverty, despair and confusion. At that time I promised my parents that I would never return to Africa - they were proud of me. They believed (and I did too) that this was my way out of extreme poverty. Their hope was that I would leave Africa so I could make money to send home and help the family. I just wanted to get out and leave this hopeless place behind me.
It took me traveling to France to meet Jesus. When I did meet Jesus, I came to understand that transformation is integral to who He is and what it means to follow Him. I learned that He did care about what was happening in Burundi… and that changed everything for me! He loved the poor, cared about the sick and longed for peace between tribes. His compassion was extended to me, my family and my countrymen. Jesus grew a new love for Africa and my family in my heart and for the first time, I loved Africa."

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

The Usual Disinformation

Works and Days:

I’ll stop with that. But you get the impression of why the world may not particularly like the United States, and why it’s really uncertain whether we shall win this war against radical Islamic jihadism.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Good News on Memorial Day

Michael Yon : Online Magazine » Blog Archive » A Memorial Day Message

Long-time readers know that I deliver bad news with the good. I was first to write that parts of Iraq were in civil war back in February 2005, well over a year before mainstream outlets started reporting the same. I was also the first to report, back in 2005, that Mosul was making a turn for the better. Mainstream outlets hardly picked up on that story, however, although the turn was easy to see for anyone who was there. When I returned from Afghanistan in the spring of 2006, after writing about the growing threat of a resurgent Taliban, bankrolled with profits from the heroin trade, I wrote that parts of our own military were censoring media in Iraq. The recent skirmishing over blogging from Iraq supports that contention. These reminders are for new readers who do not believe that a province that most media outlets had put at the top of the “hopelessly lost” column is actually turning a corner for the better.

Although there is sharp fighting in Diyala Province, and Baghdad remains a battleground, and the enemy is trying to undermine security in areas they’d lost interest in, the fact is that the security plan, or so-called “surge,” is showing clear signs of progress. The city of Hit, for instance. Only about a hundred days ago, Hit was a city at war. Today, the buildings are still riddled with bullet holes, but the Iraqi people are opening shops and painting over the scars. They are waving and smiling while hundreds of men are volunteering to join the police. I saw a “policeman” on duty today whose “weapon” was a plastic pistol. I photographed the toy. And so this man was on “duty” with a toy pistol, though he has not yet attended the police academy and is not even being paid. A writer could probably squeeze bad news from that story, but I won’t try. In fact, Hit is a place where writers who wish to escape combat and bad news should visit.

Today I honored the sacrifice of those who died in our countries service by participating in a Memorial Day parade.

I also honor this day by pointing out something that some seem unwilling to point out. Our terrorist enemies in Iraq are evil torturers. A recently found manual on torture confirms this, along with the victims of that torture. I thank God for those who have died and those who now live defending our nation from those who would inflict torture on all who don't share their religion or political goals.

OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today

Blogger Don Surber of the Charleston (W.Va.) Daily Mail examines big-media coverage of the documents:

Where did USA Today play the torture book story?

Not on Page One.

Where did the New York Times play it?

Not on Page One.

Where did the Washington Post play it?

Not on Page One. And yet such false stories as the "flushed Koran" got widespread play in the newspapers and on television.

We are hearing those awful "Sounds of Silence" that Simon and Garfunkel warned us about.

Whether intentional or not, the message is clear: The United States must be above even false reports of torture, while the enemy is allowed to promote eye removal, blowtorching skin and horrors I won't go into.

We also checked the blogs of Andrew Sullivan and Glenn Greenwald, among the most hysterical accusers of America in the "torture" debate, and here is what they have had to say about the al Qaeda documents: .

Saturday, May 26, 2007

How can you not love this guy?

The Official Site of Major League Baseball: News: Major League Baseball News:

"Matsuzaka did not speak with reporters after the game, but he issued a statement through a team publicist.
'I felt very good coming out of my warmups in the bullpen, and I was looking forward to pitching in this game,' he said in the statement. 'But, all of a sudden, I didn't feel too well.
'I tried my best to take the team as deep into the game as possible to fulfill my responsibility as the starter. I regret that I ended up being a burden on my teammates today. I'll do my best to prepare for my next start.' "

Friday, May 25, 2007

Good News is No News

TIME Magazine:

Finally, I find it amusing that some doubt the military source who told me the good news in Anbar province but don't question the sources who told me about the growing pessimism about the Shi'ites ever putting together a viable government...Why does good news about Iraq, however modest--and this was truly a modest, if intriguing, development--trouble you?

Google Culture

I, Cringely . The Pulpit . The Final Days of Google | PBS

Google quite properly will pursue 10 projects per year and five of those will fail both because they are expected to and also because they were never worth pursuing in the first place. This leaves 390 orphaned projects of which 35 are absolutely stunning but unrecognized and 355 are pretty darned good. What happens to THOSE ideas?

They fester.

Google has designed a working environment that provides almost everything their technical people need except a guaranteed sense of satisfaction. By design each worker is no more than 100 feet from a bathroom or food and drink (at Google the food is always free). This creates an environment where people tend not to go home, which Microsoft discovered and leveraged decades ago. But nobody works every minute they are AT work, which means the Google Geeks are constantly talking with each other, team building, bonding, and goofing off. And for 20 percent of that goofing-off time I'll guarantee you that many of these people are discussing their pet projects, 99.75 percent of which have been REJECTED by the company.

While it is possible that a few Google Geeks may talk about how lucky they were to have been saved from their own bad idea, most of them will take exactly the opposite approach, seeing the company as misguided.

Some Pig

Boy Bags Wild Hog Bigger Than 'Hogzilla'

An 11-year-old Alabama boy used a pistol to kill a wild hog his father says weighed a staggering 1,051 pounds and measured 9-feet-4 from the tip of its snout to the base of its tail. Think hams as big as car tires.

Illegal Downloading Among Youth Drops, Reports New Study

Illegal Downloading Among Youth Drops, Reports New Study: "The results of a recent
nationwide survey released by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) show
that illegal downloading of digital copyrighted works by youth (ages 8 to
18) has dropped by 24 percent in the last three years. The survey, first
conducted in 2004, indicated that 60 percent of survey participants
reported downloading software, music, movies, or games without paying for
it; in 2006 the percentage of those who downloaded without paying dropped
to 43 percent; and in 2007 the percentage decreased to 36 percent. Youth
report that parental oversight is a significant motivator and key
influencing factor in their online behavior.The results of a recent
nationwide survey released by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) show
that illegal downloading of digital copyrighted works by youth (ages 8 to
18) has dropped by 24 percent in the last three years. The survey, first
conducted in 2004, indicated that 60 percent of survey participants
reported downloading software, music, movies, or games without paying for
it; in 2006 the percentage of those who downloaded without paying dropped
to 43 percent; and in 2007 the percentage decreased to 36 percent. Youth
report that parental oversight is a significant motivator and key
influencing factor in their online behavior."

PC World - The Top 25 Web Hoaxes and Pranks

PC World: "These online spoofs and shams have made the rounds on Web sites and through e-mail. Perhaps you even believed one or two of them yourself."

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Starbucks didn't know beans about Biscotti

Seth's Blog: Too late?: "Here's today's entrepreneurial trivia question:
Even after Starbucks had five stores and more than 20 employees, which item was unavailable for purchase at their stores:
Espresso
Hot Coffee
Biscotti
Frappucino® blended beverage
Actually, it's a trick question. The answer is 'all of the above.' It wasn't until several years after the company was up and running that they realized it would be a good idea to sell any beverages at all. All they sold was beans (but you could get a free taste of coffee if you asked nicely)."

The Food of Christianity

Blue: The House Church at Corinth and the Lord's Supper: 1 Cor. 11: "The boundaries which defined Judaism as a race and reli-
gion were drawn at the table; therefore, the desegregation of the Chris-
tian message had for its appropriate setting the table, Similarly, the
boundaries which defined social and economic classes were forcefully
exposed at a meal. It was uncommon for different classes to eat together:
'The interests brought together in this way probably marked the Chris-
tians off from other unofficial associations, which were generally so-
cially and economically as homogeneous as possible'."

Christianity as a force for human rights in the first century. Fascinating.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Stay away from Office 2007

If you buy the new Office 2007 from Microsoft, there's a good chance the spell check won't work at all. If you want to fix it it will cost you another $50 to have Microsoft fix the software that they already sold to you.

It's a good thing I'm not a lawyer. This seems actionable.

Sigh.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Death Sonnet

Recently a distant family member died. Her faith and her life are found in this sonnet, written by her. It contains both echoes of Donne and a fitting tribute to its author.

And now, death stands within my shuttered door

And bids me hence against my faltering will,

And all the songs I sang I'll sing no more,

And all the whisperings of love be still.

Then take me, death, if taking me you must,

And let my memories no more return.

Reduce my struggling body into dust

Securely sealed within a lidded urn.

Yet from that secret, silent grave shall rise

My living soul, redeemed, unfettered, free,

To wing its way above to heavenly skies

To be with Him, my Lord, eternally

When you, O Death, will ever banished be

And mine shall be the joyous victory.

Molly Frick Wampler

April 25, 1906 - March 15, 2007

The End is Near

DiCaprio sheds light on '11th Hour'

But I was very clear in the movie. I want the public to be very scared by what they see. I want them to see a very bleak future. I want them to feel disillusioned halfway through and feel hopeless. And then when we get into the entire section in the second half when we talk about cultural transformation and a new way of looking at things and the alternatives or green technology and all these things, you realize there is great hope and there are options on the table. And hopefully the audience is moved and galvanized to do something about it. Hopefully.

I'm sure the street preacher outside of my office would love to make a film like this. He preaches roughly the same kind of message in a loud voice almost daily.

I wonder if this film will go beyond Al Gore's film and include professional scientists who can be held accountable by their peers for the claims they make on camera. I'm sure Leo and Al are very competent but I wouldn't be taking medical advice from them either, if you know what I mean.

Oral Tradition in the Congress

Say what you will about the Bible, at least it's written down so you can check it yourself.

Hugh Hewitt

Finally, the arrogance of announcing that a deal has been reached when it hadn’t even been written combined with the jam down schedule for Senate consideration of the vast bill struck many as the ultimate insult: Here is a vital bill of incredible importance on a subject that has been passionately debated for years, and the people aren’t even invited to the debate or given the text on around which the debate revolves. That is not how a republic operates, especially for people who take their citizenship seriously.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Holy Architecture Batman

Neatorama » Blog Archive » 10 Divinely Designed Churches.

Let’s take a look at some divinely designed churches around the world, both classic and modern in style.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Teens abstain from depression?

the evangelical outpost: Family Facts #18

In this study, compared with peers who abstained from sex and drugs, girls who experimented with sex or drugs were two to three times times more likely to become depressed: those with multiple sex partners were 10 times more likely than their abstinent peers to become depressed and those who used drugs frequently were about seven and a half times as likely as peers who did not use drugs to become depressed.

Watch this, and then ask why.

In recent days, a young couple was raped, tortured, sexually mutilated and murdered.

Why haven't you heard about this? Ask the Mainstream Media including Fox News.

Hot Air » Blog Archive » A horror story the MSM won’t tell

The mainstream media finds some crimes more useful than others. Michelle explains.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Why I hate Presidential "Debates"

Hugh Hewitt

The most important moment of the debate was the discussion begun by Ron Paul --now clearly revealed as a fringe candidate who ought not to be on the stage-- who argued that America invited the 9/11 attacks and was rightly and strongly rebuked by Giuliani. A wide screen shot showed many of the candidates ready to join in a discussion of what motivates our enemy, a conversation that would have gone a long way towards making the debate significant. But at just this moment Wendall Goller decided he had to ask his prepared questions instead of allowing an authentic debate to break out. The moment passed, and the candidates went back to the staggered (and usually dull) one minute riffs on this or that. The hardest thing for an interviewer to do is listen and be willing to abandon the script when such a moment arrives. Goller missed such a moment.

We're Number 3!

News from The Associated Press

Residents in the following 25 cities were surveyed and are listed in order from those reporting the most incidents of road rage to the fewest:

1. Miami

2. New York

3. Boston

4. Los Angeles

5. Washington, D.C.

6. Phoenix

7. Chicago

8. Sacramento, Calif.

9. Philadelphia

10. San Francisco

But they support the troops!

Congress Approval Down to 29%; Bush Approval Steady at 33%

Twenty-nine percent of Americans approve of Congress, down slightly from last month's reading (33%) and this year's high point of 37%, while Bush's approval rating is holding steady at 33%.

When can we get him to the debates...

Breitbart.tv » Exclusive: Thompson Responds to Michael Moore Challenge

Thompson Responds to Michael Moore Challenge

Keep your laws off my everything

OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today

Planet Parenthood

People on the leftward side of the political spectrum say they want to "keep government out of your bedroom," by which they usually mean they oppose restrictions on abortion. This is a bit of a non sequitur, since few abortionists make house calls. But you can see the logic: Restrictions on abortion may inhibit sexual behavior; hence they are a government intrusion "into the bedroom."

But it's an oddity of today's politics that abortion proponents tend to be allied with environmentalists, and environmentalists want government in every room in your house, from the bathroom (mandatory low-flow toilets) to the kitchen (energy saving appliances) to the garage (fuel-economy standards) to--well, any room with artificial lighting (the bulbs had better be the compact fluorescent variety).

So it turns out the only room in the house these characters want to keep the government out of is the bedroom, and only when the lights are off. And don't count on the bedroom remaining a safe haven, either.

Sportsmen of the Year

From Best of the Web:

On the Ball

The Associated Press reports from Stockholm on an attempt at interfaith dialogue that went awry when a soccer game nearly broke out:

A soccer game between Muslim imams and Christian priests at the end of a conference to promote interfaith dialogue was canceled Saturday because the teams could not agree on whether women priests should take part.

Church of Norway spokesman Olav Fykse Tveit said the imams refused to play against a mixed-gender team of priests because it would have gone against their beliefs in avoiding close physical contact with strange women.

The church decided to drop its female players, and the priests' team captain walked out in protest.

Hours before the game was to end the daylong "Shoulder to Shoulder" conference in Oslo, the church released a statement saying it had called off the match because it was sending the wrong signal.

"Because we thought it would be a nice conclusion of the conference we didn't want to call it off, so we decided to stage an all-men team game instead," Tveit said. "We realize now that it will be wrong to have a priest team without women."

Just imagine how much less sectarian strife there would be in a world without soccer.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Another Viet Nam?

People who say that haven't seen this graph, or wont see it.

iraqVietnamGraph.gif (GIF Image, 762x490 pixels)

People have said to me that the Iraq war has been a disaster. When I hear that I ask, "compared to what?" It's been a disaster compared to imaginary wars but when you compare it to other actual wars, well, it looks like this graph.

I still pray that in 30 years I'll be able to visit a prosperous and relatively free Baghdad, as I can visit Tokyo, Berlin. Of course the US still has troops in Japan and Germany but what are you going to do.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Pray for these three.

U.S. Sweeps Iraq Seeking 3 Soldiers Missing in Attack - New York Times

The Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella insurgent group that includes Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, asserted that it had captured the three missing Americans and claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed four other American soldiers and an Iraqi Army soldier. The group offered no proof for its claim.

There's just one thing I don't understand. I thought Al Qaeda and Iraq didn't have any thing to do with one another.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Freedom of Speech at Tufts

The Volokh Conspiracy - -

My first reaction was — welcome to America: We're allowed to intentionally put a negative spin on religion here, just as we're allowed to criticize any other ideology. There should be nothing flabbergasting about open debate in America, debate which doesn't assume that any religious belief is sacrosanct.

But I guess the joke is on me, because welcome to Tufts: A university panel (consisting mostly of faculty members) has concluded that in fact Tufts does not allow "attitudes or opinions that are expressed verbally or in writing" that create a "hostile environment" through "unreasonable attacks based on [students'] religion."

Friday, May 11, 2007

This may boos Mitt's poll numbers...

With those who have a sense of humor at least.

Dean Barnett:

How deep has the office penetrated our national psyche? Earlier in the week, I was interviewing Mitt Romney on the pop culture. I asked him what his favorite TV shows were. He said that he really liked “The Office.” I said I loved “The Office” too, and that it must have been just like Bain Capital. He responded, “Exactly. And I was Michael Scott,” he laughed.

Chi Spy

Hugh Hewitt

Bill Gertz also has a piece on the conviction that notes that "U.S. officials close to the case said the spying operation showed China's sophistication at gathering defense technology to further Beijing's rapid military buildup. The trial provided a rare look into the shadowy world of Chinese technology collection efforts in the United States."

No Free Lunch

John Edwards' big ideas costly - Yahoo! News

Edwards says fixing the country's problems takes precedence over eliminating the deficit or offering middle-class tax relief like he proposed when running for president in the last election.

"I think for me, as opposed to the additional tax relief for the middle class, what's more important is to give them relief from the extraordinary cost of health care, from gasoline prices, the things that they spend money on every single day that are escalating dramatically," Edwards said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Instapundit references Phil Mitchell

Instapundit.com -

MORE CONTROVERSY AT COLORADO

What Bias?

Dave Barry's Blog: INCREDIBLE

James Lileks, a terrific writer and one of the best newspaper columnists in America, says on his blog today that his newspaper, the Minneapolis-St.Paul Star-Tribune, has decided to kill his column and have him write straight local news stories. This is like the Miami Heat deciding to relieve Dwyane Wade of his basketball-playing obligations so he can keep stats.

Sometimes I don't understand the newspaper business. What's left of it.

Sunday, May 06, 2007

The Future belongs to those who believe in it.

Children 'bad for planet' | NEWS.com.au

HAVING large families should be frowned upon as an environmental misdemeanour in the same way as frequent long-haul flights, driving a big car and failing to reuse plastic bags, says a report to be published today by a green think tank.

Watch this...

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Video: “Outside the Wire” producer on H&C

CHAVARRIA: It comes up in conversations, not necessarily during the documentary. The Marines do talk about why they’re there and what they think their mission is and they a belief in what they’re doing.

COLMES: And what do they think their mission is?

CHAVARRIA: Well they think their mission is to help Iraq become a democracy and in the documentary they say that they’re over their to prevent another 9/11. They rather be over there in Iraq, fighting –

COLMES: Well, I keep hearing that argument, but that would predispose “I rather be over there than over here.” Every terrorist that wants to kill us is over there and in terms of creating another democracy, even the administration has backed off that as the original mission and now simply saying we want to stay there long enough to have Iraq handle it’s own security. The idea of actually creating a democracy in our image has long since passed what they thought they could accomplish in Iraq.

CHAVARRIA: Well, I’m just telling you what they said in the documentary, Alan. I’m not trying to make any political statement. I’m just telling you what they said and that’s what they believe and I think that a lot of the media that comes out is negative and it’s interesting to hear stories of when our troops come back and see a lot of negative news and –

Friday, May 04, 2007

But will there be any responsibilities...

Activists Want Chimp Declared a 'Person'

In a case that could set a global legal precedent for granting basic rights to apes, animal rights advocates are seeking to get the 26- year-old male chimpanzee legally declared a "person."

Hiasl's supporters argue he needs that status to become a legal entity that can receive donations and get a guardian to look out for his interests.

"Our main argument is that Hiasl is a person and has basic legal rights," said Eberhart Theuer, a lawyer leading the challenge on behalf of the Association Against Animal Factories, a Vienna animal rights group.

"We mean the right to life, the right to not be tortured, the right to freedom under certain conditions," Theuer said.

"We're not talking about the right to vote here."

Thursday, May 03, 2007

I'm seeing this!

Reason Magazine - Hollywood's Missing Movies

Every so often someone in Hollywood uses his power to break the movie colony's rules. Consider this year's Total Eclipse. Odd as it may seem, this is the first serious American film set against the background of the 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact, the deal that allied Europe's two totalitarian powers against the West and helped plunge the world into war.

Sweet new wi-fi

First WiMax laptop card approved by FCC - Yahoo! News

WiMax base stations can send broadband Internet signals to far greater distances than Wi-Fi technology. Although estimates vary on how far WiMax signals can go, in densely populated cities, where users are not likely to be positioned within sight of access points, the distance should be between 2 km and 4 km.

Sigh

Instapundit.com

MORE BOGUS KYOTO HISTORY FROM REUTERS: "President George W. Bush pulled the United States out of Kyoto in 2001, arguing it would cost U.S. jobs and that it wrongly excluded 2012 goals for poorer nations such as China."

Er, no. The U.S. refused to ratify Kyoto under President Clinton. We've been over this before. It's all spelled out in Wikipedia, even. Really, if Reuters can't get simple things like this right, why should we trust them for actual news?

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Modern Religion: Pure and Undefiled

No pun intended.

Bloomberg Printer-Friendly Page

April 27 (Bloomberg) -- Visitors to the Gaia Napa Valley Hotel and Spa won't find the Gideon Bible in the nightstand drawer. Instead, on the bureau will be a copy of ``An Inconvenient Truth,'' former Vice President Al Gore's book about global warming.